USS Neil Armstrong: We continued along the border of the Taakar Nebula despite the dangers to the ship. Navigation, sensor array, communications, weapons, shields... all major systems affected in some way. We managed to keep shields up and dropped to impulse to negotiate the asteroid belt. Cptn Karl Quar on helm was masterful in his guidance of the ship, we proceeded fairly well for several minutes. Science came up with the idea that ultraviolent rays may make the Spouwwqna visible, and a team was assigned to replicate emitters. Engineering worked on the warp core while we were at impulse, assuring me we would make it back to warp by the time we had exited the asteroid field. Medical continued to look into the reports of lightheadness, headaches and a fist fight. I was concerned the Spouwwqna might be with us, although our NFG's were working and the deflector dish was emitting nanite frequencies.

I instructed engineering and operations that full power to the deflector was vital. Using tractor beam, a phaser array, and our wits, we managed to get through most of the field. Science placed an ultraviolet emitter on the bridge. Communications advised they had picked up a regular report from a Treman patrol ship, who likely had us on sensors. To beef up our story of needing shore leave and repair time, I instructed Helm to - gently - knock the ship into an asteroid so we would have scarring on the hull. Then I had ops send a general distress call, and prepared to go to warp after exiting the asteroids.

Just then I heard a voice whispering on the bridge... asking for help. I looked at everyone else, they seemed not to notice, so I went ahead giving instructions to set a course for Treman at warp 3. The voice repeated itself. A Spouwwqna? Perhaps but... the voice said some words that sounded vaguely familiar. Dr Brogdram confirmed there were other lifeforms besides us. We could see no body... I asked Cmdr Bravin to turn up the ultraviolet emitter and... a female figure slowly became visible. It spoke again, telling us the Spouwwqna know our plans. I was suspicious at first but Genny recognized the language the... being.. spoke as being Vulcan. It told us to turn the frequency on the nanite frequency generator as high as it would go, as the Spouwwqna could not bear it.

In the end she told us she had been sleeping in her quarters on the USS Shogun, deployed in the Delta Quadrant when it entered a nebula, and the Spouwwqna took her, interested in her Klingon physiology. A Klingon who speaks Vulcan? Fascinating.

USS Neil Armstrong, 16 hours from Treman at warp 8. Problems with our warp core have given me the idea that we would approach Treman as a vessel needing repair. It's important our course seem as though we have not come from Astraios, so I ordered that we skirt the Takaar Nebula as the anomaly will cover our tracks and make it difficult to see us on long range sensors. Our NFG's are functioning but there are reports of strange behaviours and at least one fight with serious injuries. Science has come up with the theory that the Spouwwqna live in the Nebula, which makes some sense, and has suggested we help them return to it. I am not sure about this plan. These creatures killed hundreds. I have ordered Science to work on a new idea... how to make them visible to us.

Teams are therefore in Science lab, Medical, and Engineering, each with their tasks to accomplish. Meanwhile, we have had to reduce speed as we are passing through the massive asteroid belt that sits on the edge of the Nebula. Communications are down... just as well as we don't need anyone from Treman coming across our signals.

Background- Encrypted orders were given to the USS Armstrong (Galaxy Class) to proceed to the Treman system, 4 LY away from SS Astraios, with the USS Ghana (Excelsior Class) and USS Colossus (Sovereign Class). There are grave concerns that the Spouwwqna have infiltrated the Treman military government and the planet population, many of whom are space pirates, traders, and others concerned with profit or power. Treman must be freed from Spouwwqnan influence or the result may be another war between Treman and Astraios.Science feels three vessels moving around Treman in coordinated orbits, emitting the nanite frequency from their deflector dishes, aimed at the planet, will remove the Spouwwqna from the population. The problem will be obtaining permission to orbit the planet without revealing the real reason, and, if this plan is successful, then obtaining cooperation from the Treman government to place NFGs on the planet surface to protect them. They may be suspicious of the devices. Purpose of mission- Free our closest neighbour from the Spouwwqna. Ensure hostilities between the two planets are not inflamed. Gain cooperation from the Treman government so that the planet may be protected. Offer medical assistance if required.Potential Outcomes- if the Spouwwqna gains access to Treman ships and arsenal, the entire sector could be in danger. Any attack by Treman on Astraios will void the peace treaty between the two planets. If we are able to assist the Tremanites to free themselves from the Spouwwqna, it will be a positive move in creating better relation between the parties.

USS Neil Armstrong: After some struggles with our newly updated technology, Cmdr Markus guided the ship from space dock and we began our journey to the Treman rendezvous. Much of our morning was spent dealing with the continuing issues with power supply. It is frustrating to say the least - we had to lend our warp core to the Astraios Civilian Authority for 3 days in order to prop up the planetary shield and support the needed nanite frequency generators - our only weapon against the non-corporeal Spouwwqna. This meant we did not have the time to reset the core properly, but we need to use this vessel anyway. I trust that the work that needs to be done will get done in transit. And, in fact, Engineering was able to come up with some solution and we were finally able to get to warp 8, although weapons were offline and shields at minimum. New staff were given orientation. I also discussed with tactical, intelligence, science and Cmdr Markus various details about the Spouwwqna, and how we should approach Treman. In the end I thought we might create the illusion that we are damaged. We could put a few score people in sickbay and quarters, have the warp core appear to be not functioning, and limp in on impulse power to trade Romulan ale, and have R&R while the ship is repaired. That's our plan at the moment. I don't know yet what the others plan to do, but we can't all arrive at Treman at the same time, it might look suspicious.

On a personal note, there has been no change in Hans' condition. I fear for him. He is in sickbay, I refused to let him be transferred to the Majel Hospital on Astraios Prime before we left. I know in my heart he would not want to leave his ship. Am I wrong to put him in danger? Some would say so....

The USS Argonaut returned to SS Astraios, carrying LT T'Pala and specifications for the nanite frequency generator that is our only current weapon against the Spouwwqna. Defstat 2 has been declared. USS Temujin was outfitted with a NFG and assigned to check the KP442 system. USS Neil Armstrong, escorted by the USS Phoenix, returned to SS Astraios with the majority of its crew in stasis pods, many dead or injuried through genetic experimentation performed by those controlled by the Spouwwqna.

Just when I was sitting down to plan out the planting of my garden I received a communication which means I must call my crew together and prepare to leave again.

Encrypted orders have now been given to the USS Armstrong (Galaxy Class) to proceed to the Treman system, 4 LY away, with the USS Ghana (Excelsior Class) and USS Colossus (Sovereign Class). There are grave concerns that the Spouwwqna have infiltrated the Treman military government and the planet population, many of whom are space pirates, traders, and others concerned with profit or power. Treman must be freed from Spouwwqnan influence or the result may be another war between Treman and Astraios.

Science feels three vessels moving around Treman in coordinated orbits, emitting the nanite frequency from their deflector dishes, aimed at the planet, will remove the Spouwwqna from the population. The problem will be obtaining permission to orbit the planet without revealing the real reason, and, if this plan is successful, then obtaining cooperation from the Treman government to place NFGs on the planet surface to protect them. They may be suspicious of the devices.

If the Spouwwqna gains access to Treman ships and arsenal, the entire sector could be in danger. Any attack by Treman on Astraios will void the peace treaty between the two planets. If we are able to assist the Tremanites to free themselves from the Spouwwqna, it will be a positive move in creating better relation between the parties.

We must, we simply must, ensure the old hostilities between Treman and Astraios do not flare up again. At least we leave knowing that the planetary shield is stronger, and our home is protected. Now we need to save the slavers, pirates and riff raff of Treman from the Spouwwqna... what a strange universe we live in.

USS Neil Armstrong: Briefing with crew for the two urgent tasks I felt needed to be managed. Medical, headed by CMO Lane, is to examine the patients freed from the stasis pods and figure out a way to treat them, using all the resources available at the Majel Hospital. The Engineering team, headed by Cptn Quar, has two tasks. One is to strengthen the planetary shield grid, the other is to determine a way to emit the nanite frequency from the shield or from space, in order to protect the planet. Unfortunately NFGs (Nanite Frequency Generators) do not seem to function effectively on the planet surface, perhaps due to the Astraios Effect.

After the briefing, LTjg Baumeister requested a word. Although Engineering needed him, I spoke with him for a short time after the briefing. His concern, as I suspected, was what had happened to Captain Hars Darax, the CO of the Neil Armstrong. He told me how they both had tried to get away from the Spouwwqna during a rest period. While they were escaping, Baumeister was unable to resist the mind control of these beings, and ended up attacking his Captain. He expressed such sincere remorse. I assured him there would be no charge from me in this respect. I am very aware of how it feels to be controlled by a Spouwwqna. There is no choice. You do things you would never dream of doing, even kill. He also was under the impression that he had indeed killed Darax. I was happy to inform him that Hans lies in the Armstrong sickbay, in a deep coma, but apparently stable. He was greatly relieved and went off to join his team at the Singularity Control Tower.

I then went down to sickbay myself, and sat with Hans for a long time, telling him all about our missions and deployments, and my dream of a garden now I am home.

On approach to SS Astraios, we said farewell to the USS Phoenix with grateful thanks for their assistance in escorting the USS Neil Armstrong home... aboard we had only a skeleton crew from USS Argonaut, and... most Armstrong crew members in stasis pods, many of whom are dead or injured. Those who we have managed to free have shown severe anxiety and paranoia, Dr Lane and his staff are still searching for the cause.

Upon arrival, I received an urgent communication from the Astraios Prime Civilian Authority as well as SS Astraios Security. Apparently weaknesses in the planet shielding have been found. In addition, the shield may protect from unauthorized ship entry, or weapon launch from space... but it does not protect from the Spouwwqna.

Glad as we may be to be home, there is vital work to be done. Resources of SS Astraios and Astraios Colony are stretched to the limit, as so many ships are deployed to patrol the Sector. I have called a briefing aboard USS Neil Armstrong at 130915.1000 hours to assign tasks.

TEAM ONE: The stasis pods are to be beamed down in an orderly fashion to the Majel Community Hospital, where our medical team will attempt to release test subjects and treat them effectively before taking the rest of the living crew from stasis.

TEAM TWO: The Civilian Planetary Shield Grid has several generators, it seems the one in the northern province of Singularity is malfunctioning and the civilian engineers say they are unsure why. In addition, we must figure out a way to use the shield to emit the nanite frequency.

United Federation Starfleet's Astraios Colony, in cooperation with the great folks on 3rd Rock Grid, will be hosting a virtual Fall festival on the weekend of Sep 7th & 8th, to celebrate the opening of our EIGHT sci-fi themed regions and to commemorate the first broadcast of Star Trek on September 8th, 1966.

There will be a number of events: a ribbon-cutting Ceremony to officially ‘open’ the UFS Community Lands, tours, a fun treasure hunt, dances, live performances, exhibits, and closing fireworks by Tommy Parrott.

We welcome everyone to come and tour the Colony proper, with its massive Welcome Centre and gardens, the Helenic Class spacestation SS Astraios, and then cross over the line to visit the *eight* other scifi themed regions that have been created over the summer for the use of roleplayers and visitors, in particular the Galaxy Class starship, USS Neil Armstrong.

The weekend of Sat Sep 7th and Sat Sep 8th is finally upon us - the Fest is 9am to 2pm daily - so come join the fun!
------*3rd Rock Grid is a different virtual world to Second Life. In order to go there you need to set up an account, and use a viewer different from the SL viewer (Firestorm, Singularity, Cool, Imprudence, etc). When you log in for the first time, you will be a 'noob' but... at UFS Astraios we have an "Avatar Birthing Deck" where you can set yourself up with skin, shape, hair, clothing, shoes, AO. We want you to be comfortable! Here's the details:

=^= HOW TO GET THERE: =^=

1-Set up an account at http://www.3rdrockgrid.com/ using your official UFS name ((UFS members please join using your official UFS name on record with the UFS database!)).

3-Set preferences before logging! Best Settings for traveling and visiting 3RG: Viewers bandwith : between 300 - 500 for optimal results, otherwise the textures come in too fast and will congestigate your viewer. (preferences/network/maximum bandwith); if you are using Firestorm make sure your Voice is OFF before logging.

5-Find us! There are usually community greeters at 3RG Welcome, they will direct you to us. If you find yourself alone, look for the UFS Astraios sign and get an LM; or, toggle the Map function and search for UF Starfleet Astraios and transport (if you have a problem TPing, relog directly to the region -- look for 'start location' on your viewer, replace <type region name> with: UF Starfleet Astraios )

6-Set up your avatar! If you've never visited us before (and even if you have), head to our brand new Welcome Centre Supply deck & Avatar Birthing area (take the transporter on the right to "new supply") where you may transform your avatar within a few minutes, you will have a choice of complementary skins, shapes, hair, and clothing (please note if you are arriving for the first time during various events, we may not have time to organize a uniform for you, civilian attire will be available, however)... best to come early for set-up.

7-Join in the celebrations, grab a guidebook, tour the regions, do the treasure hunt, attend the many events!

There is an up-to-date Admin Roster posted in our Welcome Lobby, along with a Welcome Kit for visiting UFS members.

***REMINDER: FOR FIRESTORM - PLEASE ENSURE YOUR VOICE SETTINGS ARE **OFF** BEFORE LOGGING OR YOU MAY CAUSE MAJOR TECHNICAL ISSUES***

I hope you will take the time to come and see the amazing work that has been done by a variety of UFS personnel over the past 3 months to prepare for this terrific event!

Location: USS Neil Armstrong: An Engineering team of Captain Quar and Ens Baumeister, assisted by Vice CMO Selenmoira Resident due to her expertise in technology, as well as Chief Science Cmdr Bravn and the XO Cmdr Markus, has been working in engineering for hours to try to bring the ship to minimal operating capacity. Life support, and power to replicators, as well as managing the warp core and EPS conduits, is their prime concern. Cptn Quar discovered part of the main computer was missing. Together they managed to improve system function in these areas.

A Medical team of Cmdr Lane, Ens Tamae, Ens Bravin, worked in sickbay with two patients who are suffering from psychosis. I attended them there, leaving Operations Officer Guardian in charge on the bridge. Happily, the USS Phoenix - an Intel ship - had come across our hidden, encrypted message asking for assistance, and came alongside. LT Sands transported to sickbay to offer her services. The cause of the psychosis was not easy to find, in the end though Dr Lane was able to bring the two patients back to full consciousness.

I was concerned that their visions seemed to include birds and cats. LT Sands and I felt this had significance. Thinking the birds might be Federation ships, and cats might be vessels under the control of the Spouwwqna, I requested the Phoenix escort us home. At warp 5, we shall arrive in just over 3 days.

Starfleet Astraios

"How to Get There" link

Event Calendar

About Me

I am Captain Poison Toocool, roleplaying Star Trek as an avatar in the metaverse of 3rd Rock Grid. Myself and my crew are tasked with the mission of 'broadening horizons' within the Gamma Quadrant. We offer an immersive Trek experience for every avatar, with a fully functioning Starfleet Academy as well as missions on the station and a variety of NPC vessels, including our flagship, the Galaxy-class USS Neil Armstrong. We aim to provide great roleplay opportunities, activities, a sense of belonging, and - most importantly - fun. Visitors are welcome to explore, observe and participate!
For more information on how to get there, please click any of the photos in this column!